A POLICE authority chairman has defended the watchdog's claim for more than £90,000 in allowances.

Councillor Ken Walker, chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, said: "When looking at the level of allowances and expenses claimed by authority members, it is important to remember that we are responsible for a budget in excess of £100m a year, which means that, taken together, the allowances and expenses represent less than a tenth of one percent of the budget."

The total amount of allowances claimed by the 15 members was £90,443 compared to £86,440 the previous year, while expenses totalled £11,802 compared to £11,561, claimed over the previous year.

Coun Walker said: "Some years ago we voluntarily agreed that, despite the fact that there was no legal requirement on police authorities to publish this information, we should make them public in the interests of being as open as possible with the people we serve.''